


Unlit Candles

by Juzosuke-Ishimondo (Aster_Nightingale)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Birthday Kiyotaka Ishimaru, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26226511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aster_Nightingale/pseuds/Juzosuke-Ishimondo
Summary: Takaaki could remember the day his son was born like it happened yesterday.
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka's Mother/Ishimaru Takaaki, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo
Comments: 32
Kudos: 162





	Unlit Candles

Takaaki remembers the day Kiyotaka was born like it happened yesterday. He remembers the sounds of other voices, the smell of antiseptic and linoleum, and the fear that gripped his heart the moment he heard his lovely wife scream in pain from contractions. He sat by her side, and she nearly broke his hand, but it was all worth it to hold his son for the first time.

"Hello, Kiyotaka...I...I'm your father!" He struggled not to yell, the emotion too much for him, but he managed and his son gazed at him in absolute wonder. His wife smiled at him, and while they were scared, they were happy to be the parents of the small, red eyed baby boy. Those eyes...Takaaki's were a deep grey like his father's, and Natsuko's eyes...he could only describe them as a rose colored sunset in the last days of summer: warm and so, so kind. Kiyotaka inherited most of his own looks, but Takaaki was happy that the boy inherited his mother's beautiful eyes.

His son's first birthday was probably too exciting for Takaaki. Toranosuke attended, and while Kiyotaka spoke in his innocent babble happily to his grandfather, he shrunk away when he noticed the security guards. Takaaki could only sigh and try to console the one year old boy while Natsuko giggled and actually managed to console him. It felt weird seeing the small boy in the paper the next day, but he didn't think too hard about it. After all, Toranosuke was Prime Minister and a beloved one at that. As long as Kiyotaka and Natsuko were happy, it wouldn't bother him too much.

Toranosuke attended Kiyotaka's second and third birthday's too, and everytime Kiyotaka happily spoke to his grandfather and thanked him for attending, and everytime, Toranosuke spoke gently to his young grandson, but Takaaki couldn't say that on Kiyotaka's fourth birthday. The scandal occured, and after a stressful year, he and Natsuko took a few moments to bake their son a cake and celebrate his birthday. Takaaki could only stare with disappointment painting his features as innocent, gentle Kiyotaka tried to talk to the shell that Toranosuke became. Despite everything, the disgraced Prime Minister managed to give Kiyotaka a gift: a wrist watch. Kiyotaka was overjoyed, and Takaaki could only sadly pat his son's head.

Years passed, and while Takaaki did his best to at least gift his son a slice of cake on his birthday, there were many years when he couldn't even afford to think of a gift for his son. The most he could offer was to mend Kiyotaka's bookbag when it was destroyed by his classmates. It was easier to think of little gifts when Natsuko and Toranosuke were around. They were always better at finding little, thoughtful things for Kiyotaka than Takaaki could with his busy, stressful schedule. Still, he did his best even if he was alone.

Takaaki was constantly floored by how hardworking and earnest his beloved son was and how cruelly he was treated by both teachers and students. There were a few teahcers who Kiyotaka spoke highly of, but they did nothing to protect the bright, hardworking boy and Takaaki would never forgive a single one of them for that.

Still, he was in awe when his son got his acceptance letter to Hope's Peak earlier that summer. He decided he would reward his son and go all out. Unfortunately, he over estimated his culinary skills and his memory, and he accidently burned the cake.

"Father! Is something the matter?!"

"Oh, uh...kid. I...uh..."

"Father? What is that? Are you okay? I...oh."

Kiyotaka smiled and held back laughter as Takaaki took the charcoal cake out of the oven.

"Father, did you leave the oven on by mistake?"

He nodded meekly before laughing causing Kiyotaka to laugh, too. After throwing away the cremated confection, they went to a small resturant nearby for dinner.

"I'm proud of you, Kiyo," he told him after they got home. Predictably, Kiyotaka began to cry.

"Thank you, father! I promise I will fulfill my goal of restoring our family name, so please, don't worry anymore. I'll work hard and become Prime Minister. Just wait and see!"

He ruffled Kiyotaka's hair. "I know you will, kid. If anyone can, it's you."

His son finally had friends, and while he didn't approve of the biker he met on his son's 17th birthday, he was overjoyed at the sight of his son's happiness. It took all his strength to not start sobbing in joy when Kiyotaka introduced Mondo. He sounded so happy and the gang leader just stared at his son with a look of adoration...he wasn't sure their feelings were fully platonic, but he was sure that the biker made his son happy and vice versa, and that was enough for him to approve.

"Um...father? May I please sleep over Kyo-...Oowada's home tonight? I wish to travel with him back to Hope's Peak."

Takaaki smiled. "Sure, kid. Be sure to pack everything you need and call me tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Of course! Thank you, father!"

Kiyotaka raced to go pack his things, and Takaaki turned to the biker.

"Take care of him, alright? He's all I have left."

He doesn't remember what the biker said, but he knew he approved of it, and the next morning, Kiyotaka called him and told him of the little gifts his classmates got him for his birthday. It made Takaaki happy. It wasn't like it was before their name became worth less than the gravel beneath their feet, but it was nice that Kiyotaka would have a proper taste of those days and have more meaning than those days ever did. If only Natsuko could be here with him...oh how happy she would be. Takaaki relaxed as he dreamed of the happy future Kiyotaka would have both as a Hope's Peak graduate and as a member of a social circle. Finally, his son wasn't all alone with only him. Finally, he could sleep at night not fearing a student would murder his son one day. He sighed happily. If only that peace would last.

It's August thirty-first. His son would have been twenty-one this year. The world had ended because of a highschool girl which he still doesn't understand, but he has no choice but to accept this reality. His gun had more use in one year than in his entire time in the police force, and just as he feared, a student killed his son.

He broke down and begged the Naegi boy to tell him that it was a cruel joke. It had to be, it just had to be. His son, the only family he had left, the only light left in his life couldn't be gone. His son couldn't have died for such a selfish, pointless reason, but he did. His hardworking, idealistic, and far too kind son was gone because of a girl who wanted money.

He sat alone beside a makeshift grave. His son's name was written on the stone, but the body was still waiting to be buried. He didn't have cake. He only had a match. He lit it and let it burn. As the flame got close to his fingers, he blew it out and smiled sadly.

"Couldn't get you a cake this year...I...I'm sorry. Some things came up I couldn't control...Still...Happy birthday, Kiyotaka."

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, please leave a kudos or a comment. Thank you for your time. ^_^


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